Throughout 2019, think of the different ways you have purchased or otherwise spent money on games. Microtransactions, full game, early access, DLC, game bundles, subscriptions? I've always tried to stick to buying the full game and maybe a bit of DLC, but lately I've started to branch out from there. The reason for this is that game publishers are trying new ways to get me to shell out big bucks, and they are succeeding.

This is something Paradox CEO Eva Ljungeld mentioned in the company's newly released 2019 year-end report. She states that Steam has been an important distribution channel for Paradox for the past decade and remains so today. However, Ljungerd said, "We know that player behavior changes over time, which is why it is important to continually test new distribution channels."

It is not clear what exactly Paradox means by changing player behavior. However, it is possible to speculate that the advent of the Epic Games Store and the push by publishers such as Ubisoft, Rockstar, and EA for their own online stores and clients may have moved away from Steam a bit.

In any case, Paradox is working to reduce its reliance on Steam in the future. This may be why it offered "Stellaris," "Hearts of Iron IV," and "Europa Universalis IV" on Xbox Game Pass for PC last year. The publisher also released its first Early Access game, "Surviving the Aftermath," on the Epic Games Store. Also last month, the publisher attempted to offer all expansions of Europa Universalis IV on a monthly subscription basis.

Paradox appears to be continuing to test alternatives to selling games on Steam into 2020. This could affect how people purchase games scheduled for release this year, including the full launches of Crusader Kings 3, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, Empire of Sin, and Surviving the Aftermath.

Paradox's profits have not fallen. In fact, according to the report, the company's overall profits are up considerably. Additionally, the number of monthly unique active players across all of Paradox's games reached a "record high" of 4 million by the end of 2019. The report also notes how Paradox was able to turn around the initial negative reaction to Imperator: It also notes that by working with the community, Paradox was able to turn the initial negative reaction to Imperator: Rome into a positive one He also mentions how Paradox succeeded in turning it into a positive one.